Purpose: Serving your community is a powerful way to address loneliness and isolation while contributing to the betterment of our county. One way we are promoting social connection at the health department is launching a campaign to highlight the health benefits of volunteering, showcasing local volunteer opportunities, and streamlining ways for folks to become involved in their community.
Progress: We are currently building out a process for local organizations to be highlighted for their work and volunteer opportunities. Additionally, stay tuned for more information on the benefits of volunteering and its health impacts on our socials.
Get Involved: Find a volunteer opportunity near you at Volunteer Match or let us know how we can spotlight the great volunteer opportunities your organization offers. If you have a volunteer story or highlight that you’d like to share with us, please contact jbuckley@larimer.org.
Purpose: We heard from rural Larimer county residents who access the North Forty Alliance Food Pantry that social connection was a key need. Folks come from various surrounding neighborhoods and towns to pick up food on Fridays and we will join monthly with our pop-up Connection Café to foster conversation and connect residents to county resources.
Progress: The Connection Café will launch in May and continue monthly through the summer to pilot this program. If residents would like it to continue, we will adjust to prepare for winter weather and continue to be responsive to community needs.
Get Involved: If you would like to see a specific resource at the food pantry, or if you are an organization interested in sharing your work with county residents in the Red Feather lakes area, please email your ideas to jbuckley@larimer.org
Purpose: In meeting with various community partners, we consistently heard of a disconnect between organizations who support submitting Medicaid applications and the county office processing those applications. Medicaid is a critical social support in our county so we committed to learning how we can solve the communication gap and make the process easier for county residents to get what they need.
Progress: In 2024 we were successful in reaching all of the various organizations across the county who support individuals and families with the Medicaid application. Our work culminated in a meeting in November that brought together community health clinics, social services application support, and the county Medicaid team. We are now continuing to work on the next steps from that meeting including advocating for software improvements at the state level, creating shared training videos, and streamlining how community organizations can contact the county offices.
Get Involved: In the future, we would like to explore supporting organizations that would like to accept Medicaid and expand their client base. If your organization or practice is interested, please reach out to jbuckley@larimer.org.
Purpose: Mobile home parks constitute much of the naturally occurring affordable housing in our county and our priority at the health district is making sure mobile home park residents have the opportunity for a healthy life. By partnering with Mi Voz, we are able to learn the intricacies of any issues, strengths, and community needs within the park through data collection and relationship buildi
Progress: Last year, we partnered with the Mi Voz program at The Family Center/La Familia to assess community needs to create a survey focused on housing insecurity in mobile home parks and other factors that affect public health. Mi Voz leaders got great response rates from their communities and have decided to expand this pilot for more detailed data collection this year. Beyond housing stability, Mi Voz leaders will be collecting data around water quality, public safety, park infrastructure, and community needs. Our office will support with survey development and data analysis. We expect to launch this new phase in the summer of 2025 and are currently seeking grant support and community partnerships to support the work.
Get Involved: Please let us know your thoughts and feedback for our work in Mobile Home Park communities by emailing jbuckley@larimer.org
Purpose: The business sector is a critical part of our community and a space we are supporting further connections into the non-profit community. We are working on starting a new program to connect local non-profits with businesses in Larimer County to make in-kind donations easier and more efficient. Non-profits will be able to list what they need, like therapy toys, affordable office space, or community hubs with internet access. This program aims to help non-profits work more effectively while giving businesses meaningful ways to support community health and well-being.
Progress: Currently, we are exploring partnerships with local Chambers of Commerce to connect businesses with non-profits they want to support.
Get Involved: This project is still in the development stage! We would love your feedback and ideas. Please get in touch with Jo at jbuckley@larimer.org
Purpose: Safe, stable housing is key to healthy lives. Our goal is to support efforts that make the eviction process faster and fairer, with options for diversion and mediation to prevent evictions when possible.
Progress: To start, we are evaluating the current eviction situation and the resources available to help people stay in their homes. Last November we heald a convening of community leaders and advocates to understand the eviction process in detail. Now, we are mapping out eviction prevention services including their project scope and budget to determine any gaps. We look forward to reconvening partners and sharing what we learned from the data. Together, we can align and act together to improve our housing system.
Get Involved: Please share your insight or connection to this work with jbuckley@larimer.org
Purpose: A group of organizations, including Behavioral Health Services, the VA, law enforcement, the Larimer County Coroner’s Office, the Department of Health and Environment, and the Alliance for Suicide Prevention, has been working together to review veteran suicide deaths.
Progress: Later this year, we will share a Suicide Fatality Review report on our website, highlighting key findings. This report is part of a larger effort to improve access to data and use it to enhance community health.
Get Involved: To contact our Senior Population Epidemiologist, please contact jolson@larimer.org.
